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Radon Levels in Orleans County, Vermont

EPA puts Orleans County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and 21.6% of its 51 reported radon tests (2023) were at or above 4 pCi/L. Homes with elevated levels occur in all three zones, so only a test measures yours.

Data checked By Radon411Methodology

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  • Share at 4+ pCi/L

    21.6%

    1.0 pts above VT

    Orleans
    21.6%
    Vermont
    20.6%

    51 tests, 2023

  • Median result

    1.7pCi/L

    Below action level

    Orleans
    1.7 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2023

  • Tests reported

    51

    10th of 12 by tests

    Orleans
    51
    Chittenden
    398

    Reported to CDC before any fix, 2023

  • EPA radon zone

    Zone 2

    Moderate potential

    1. 1
    2. Zone 2
    3. 3

    1 highest, 3 lowest

    EPA predicts 2 to 4 pCi/L indoors

  • Rank in Vermont

    8 of 12

    Middle half

    Orleans
    21.6%
    Bennington
    29.5%

    By share, of 12 with 30+ tests

Read a result for Orleans County

Starts at Orleans County's median, 1.7 pCi/L

1.7pCi/L

EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.

EPA’s reading of 1.7 pCi/L

Below 2 pCi/L

  1. Under 20 to 1.9 pCi/L
  2. 2 to 4consider a fix
  3. 4 and aboveEPA says fix it

This result is below 2 pCi/L, the level at which EPA says a fix should be considered. Orleans County's median reported result, 2023.

Interpret this reading

The data

Orleans County, At a glance

Orleans County at a glance

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential

Orleans County is a county: EPA's forecast for it as a whole is an average indoor of 2 to 4 pCi/L (75 to 150 Bq/m³). It describes no single address, and homes above EPA's are found in every zone, this one included.

USGS geologic potential: Moderate across 100% of the county's area

Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones

Measured: tests reported to CDC

Radon tests reported for Orleans County, 2023

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Orleans County
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Orleans County
YearShare of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L
201421.1%
201513.5%
201616.3%
201717.4%
201825.0%
201919.2%
202010.8%
202114.9%
202220.4%
202321.6%

2023: 21.6%. Across these years the share ran from 10.8% to 25.0%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.

What these figures count

These are the 51 tests reported to CDC for Orleans County over 2023, many from homes being sold or already suspected of a problem: they describe the county's reported tests, not this house.

Measured: CDC tracking data. Figure above: 2023. Measured data period: 2005 to 2023 (every CDC figure on file).

How to read these figures

Orleans County, Compared

Orleans County radon figures, compared

Calculated by Radon411

Orleans County's 51 reported tests in 2023 had a middle value of 1.7 pCi/L and a maximum of 9.7 pCi/L, and 21.6% reached 4 pCi/L. Vermont as a whole (14 Vermont counties, pooled) comes to 20.6%: 1.0 points lower than here.

Among its state's counties it ranks 8th of 12 Vermont counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. Statewide for the same period, Bennington County reported the highest share (29.5%) and Chittenden County the lowest (14.6%).

Below the action level, 28 tests (54.9%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 56.8% statewide, and 12 tests (23.5%) fell between 2 and 4, against 22.5% statewide. The busiest year on file was 2022, with 147 tests reported; the quietest, 2018, had 24.

EPA's 1993 zone map puts Orleans County in Zone 2, a predicted county average between 2 and 4 pCi/L. USGS geology rates 100% of the county's land moderate radon potential.

Next door, the shares run from 21.1% in Caledonia County to 23.4% in Franklin County, with Caledonia County below Orleans County. Over 9 years of annual figures the share held within 2 points, from 21.1% in 2014 to 21.6% in 2023; its peak was 21.6% in 2023.

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L by year, Orleans County against Vermont2014 to 2023, years with 30 or more tests: Orleans County 21.1% to 21.6%, the state's pooled share 20.6% in 2023.
Orleans CountyVermont, pooled
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L by year, Orleans County against Vermont: data table
YearTestsOrleans County, at or above 4 pCi/LVermont, pooled
20143821.1%18.3%
20155213.5%15.5%
20164316.3%15.9%
20174617.4%16.4%
20195219.2%14.3%
202011110.8%16.5%
20216714.9%19.2%
202214720.4%19.4%
20235121.6%20.6%
Orleans County against Vermont, the United States and nearby counties, 2023
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from Orleans County
Orleans County5121.6%1.7 pCi/LThis county
Vermont, pooled14 counties, pooled1,30020.6%Not pooled−1.0 points
United States, pooled642 counties, pooled128,74033.4%Not pooled+11.8 points
Bennington Countyhighest in the state4429.5%2.0 pCi/L+7.9 points
Chittenden Countylowest in the state39814.6%1.3 pCi/L−7.0 points
Essex County, VTborders it1050.0%3.0 pCi/L+28.4 points
Franklin County, VTborders it4723.4%1.5 pCi/L+1.8 points
Lamoille County, VTborders it6222.6%1.8 pCi/L+1.0 points
Caledonia County, VTborders it7621.1%2.0 pCi/L−0.5 points
Where Orleans County's reported results fell, 2023, beside Vermont and the United States
ResultOrleans County testsOrleans County shareVermont shareU.S. shareAgainst Vermont
Under 2 pCi/L2854.9%56.8%41.4%−1.9 points
2 to 4 pCi/L1223.5%22.5%25.2%+1.0 points
4 pCi/L and above1121.6%20.6%33.4%+1.0 points
Orleans County ranked among the 12 Vermont counties with 30 or more tests, by share at or above 4 pCi/L, 2023
CountyRankTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedian
Orange County2 of 125326.4%2.5 pCi/L
Washington County3 of 1219926.1%2.0 pCi/L
Franklin County4 of 124723.4%1.5 pCi/L
Lamoille County5 of 126222.6%1.8 pCi/L
Windsor County6 of 126722.4%1.6 pCi/L
Windham County7 of 126021.7%2.2 pCi/L
Orleans County8 of 125121.6%1.7 pCi/L
Caledonia County9 of 127621.1%2.0 pCi/L
Addison County10 of 128319.3%1.7 pCi/L
Rutland County11 of 1213018.5%1.3 pCi/L
Chittenden County12 of 1239814.6%1.3 pCi/L
Orleans County radon tests by year, against Vermont's pooled share
YearTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianHighestVermont, pooledChange from the row before
20235121.6%1.7 pCi/L9.7 pCi/L20.6%+1.2 points
202214720.4%1.6 pCi/L19.2 pCi/L19.4%+5.5 points
20216714.9%1.4 pCi/L13.0 pCi/L19.2%+4.1 points
202011110.8%1.2 pCi/L8.2 pCi/L16.5%−8.4 points
20195219.2%1.4 pCi/L11.5 pCi/L14.3%−5.8 points
20182425.0%1.3 pCi/L9.3 pCi/L15.8%+7.6 points
20174617.4%1.2 pCi/L11.7 pCi/L16.4%+1.1 points
20164316.3%1.5 pCi/L13.6 pCi/L15.9%+2.8 points
20155213.5%1.1 pCi/L24.6 pCi/L15.5%−7.6 points
20143821.1%2.3 pCi/L20.3 pCi/L18.3%First on file

Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.

Orleans County, Geology

The ground under Orleans County

Predicted

USGS's geologic map puts all of Orleans County's mapped land in one class: moderate radon potential. The map puts 70.5% of Orleans County in the area it calls Vermont Piedmont and 12.9% in Northeastern Highlands, with 2 smaller areas beside them. USGS gives both a radon index of 11, in the moderate band (9 to 11).

USGS's geologic areas under Orleans County
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
Vermont PiedmontPaleozoic metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks that are intruded by igneous plutonic rocks.Moderate1170.5%
Northeastern HighlandsPaleozoic to Mesozoic igneous rocks intruded into Silurian-Devonian metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks.Moderate1112.9%
Green MountainsProterozoic to Paleozoic metaigneous and metasedimentary rocks.Moderate1112.3%
Vermont PiedmontGranite and granitic gneiss of the New Hampshire plutonic series.Moderate114.0%

Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.

Orleans County beside the ground around it

Orleans County has more moderate-potential ground than Vermont as a whole: 99.7% of its land against 87.8%. Of the 4 counties that border it, 3 have more moderate-potential ground, Essex County the most at 100%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Orleans County, the 4 counties bordering it and Vermont
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
Orleans CountyZone 2None99.7%None
Caledonia CountyZone 2None100%None
Lamoille CountyZone 2None100%None
Essex CountyZone 2None100%None
Franklin CountyZone 231.7%68.1%None
Vermont14 counties, pooled by land areaVaries12.2%87.8%None

The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.

Local help

Orleans County, Local resources

Radon testing and mitigation in Orleans County

What Vermont's program says
Phone
802-863-7220

What it means

Orleans County, Questions

Questions about radon in Orleans County

Are radon levels high in Orleans County?

In 2023, 21.6% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Orleans County, Vermont were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 1.7 pCi/L. Of 12 Vermont counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 7 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 20.6%.

Which counties border Orleans County?

Orleans County borders 4 counties: Caledonia County, Lamoille County, Essex County and Franklin County.

Products

Orleans County, Products

Testing a home in Orleans County

In Orleans County, 21.6% of 51 tests reported to CDC in 2023 reached 4 pCi/L, against 20.6% pooled across Vermont. In Zone 2 a short-term kit (2 to 90 days) is the quick first check in Orleans County; a long-term test tells the year-round average.

Test kits and monitors3

See every kit and monitor

Best radon monitors for Orleans County homes, compared

Explore

Orleans County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering Orleans County

Calculated by Radon411

Orleans County, Cities and towns

Cities and towns in Orleans County

The Census Bureau estimates 27,600 residents in Orleans County for July 1, 2025, 196 more than in 2020 (+0.7%). That works out to 40 people per square mile of land. No town dominates: Newport, the largest, has 4,274 residents, 15.5% of the total. Together its 7 incorporated places hold 28.3% of those residents; the other 71.7% live outside any of them. CDC's 51 reported tests for 2023 work out to 1.8 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to Vermont's 2.0.

From Newport to Albany, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Orleans County's.

The cities and towns in Orleans County by residents, July 1, 2025
PlaceResidentsSince 2020Share of residents
Newport4,274−4.0%15.5%
Orleans761−5.1%2.8%
Barton715−4.9%2.6%
Derby Line663−2.8%2.4%
Derby Center632−2.2%2.3%
North Troy600−1.2%2.2%
Albany176−2.8%0.6%

7 incorporated places, as listed in the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 place reference files. Residents: U.S. Census Bureau population estimates for July 1, 2025 (Vintage 2025).

Orleans County, Homes

Homes in Orleans County

Orleans County is a place of houses on their own lots: 77% of its 16,630 homes are detached single-family houses, against 67% across Vermont. Half of its homes were built before 1977, close to Vermont's 1976: 32% date from before 1960 and 21% from 2000 or later. Owners live in 80% of the occupied homes (Vermont: 73%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.

Homes in Orleans County, Vermont, 2019 to 2023
HomesOrleans CountyVermont
Housing units16,630337,072
Detached houses77%67%
In buildings of 5 or more4%11%
Mobile homes8%6%
Built before 196032%33%
Built since 200021%17%
Middle year built19771976
Owner-occupied80%73%

Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.